I am very pleased to report that just today, after 10 years (this case started on March 24, 2001), the final two green cards have been approved in my international human trafficking case. In all we got green cards for 36 people (about 50% of them principal victims and 50% of them spouses, children and parents - collectively known as derivative beneficiaries) where the principals had been trafficked into Am. Samoa and then held as slaves. All of these victims were in debt to traffickers in their home country, Vietnam, and the traffickers were in league with the communist government. Not only were we able to rescue the 18 principal victims, but we got their wives, children and for those under 21 their parents out of the danger they faced in Vietnam due to the debts. Their captivity entailed all the usual deprivations that accompany slavery; beatings, death, maiming, starvation and confinement. The perpetrator was an US Citizen who was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison.
I guess it is time to find a new pro bono opportunity.
First, good work!
I hope you get to stay in touch with some of the families. Talk about making a difference for someone.
Good work, Arnold.
Now 40 years means he'll be out in eight to do it again. Sigh.
Second, if this were the average state system, you'd be absolutely correct. But, in the Federal system, parole was abolished in 1984 (part of the Comprehensive Crime Control Act).
These days, you're serving the sentence you're given - reduced only by good time credits and credit for time served awaiting trial/conviction. After the first year of your Federal sentence, you get ~50 days credit/year, for "exemplary behavior," which I think is the term used in the law.
On a 40 year sentence (leaving out time already served), you're going to get roughly at absolute best 5 years good time credit (assuming you behave yourself).
Now, compare that to, say, Maryland's correctional system. You can get
better than day-for-day credit, up to 20 days per month. You get credit for good behavior, for working in the prison, for taking advantage of educational opportunities. In other words, for doing everything you
should be doing when you're in prison, you can have up to 2/3 of your sentence simply evaporate.
Want to talk about smoke and mirrors, look no further than state sentencing law. "We're tough on crime...until you're actually convicted of one."
But the Feds. You don't eff with the Feds. They've got something like a 95% conviction rate (which is exactly what it should be in a system where the prosecutor has absolute discretion as to what does, and does not, get charged); and you're going to the big house when you get a sentence to the big house (probation in lieu of incarceration remains an option).
